LA GRANGE — When North Lenoir wrestlers last stepped foot on a mat, Shirley Washington wasn’t even born.

Most of this year’s wrestling team wasn’t even walking in 1995, but now they’re prepared to rumble.

The program that ended 18 years ago holds its first wrestling match since then today at Southern Nash.

Washington is the only girl on the team, a soccer player who is confident going up against the guys.

“I didn’t want to do it at first,” the 17-year old senior said, “but because of the person (my coach) is, I felt like he’d push me hard. Since I’ve been doing it, it’s making me a better person.”

The Hawks are coached by Patrick Cline, a former Statesboro High School wrestler a part of the 1992 state championship team.

He arrived to Lenoir County in September of 2012, with talks of reviving the program that ended after losing then-coach Steve Zimarino. With a group of inexperienced, inquiring teenagers, Cline began to show film and teach the fundamentals of the sport.

“It’s not MMA, it’s not what’s on TV,” he said. “This is actually … school-style wrestling. I think there’s some excitement about what it is, what’s it’s going to look like and how we’re going to get it started.”

Once a facility was set and wrestling mats were acquired, Cline began practicing hands-on. The Hawks practice in the school’s cafeteria, where they slide the tables against the walls, unroll the heavy-duty vinyl mats and get to work.

Monday, Cline held an in-house scrimmage to see which wrestlers would make the varsity team. Thirty young Hawks who were interested.

“They’ve grown a lot,” Cline said. “They still have lots of questions, but to me questions are good because they’re searching for that knowledge; they’re interested in doing it.”

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Inside wrestling

Tuesday’s scrimmage lasted about an hour, with wrestlers lined up along the mat to watch the action. Some owned looks of anticipation, others called out newly-learned wrestling terms to encourage those on the mat.

Senior James Durant took the floor against Channing Rouse, winning his individual match by a pin down. Durant is also a running back for the football team, who said he’s always wanted to wrestle.

“I joined because I knew it would give guys like me — who aren’t the biggest or the strongest — an opportunity to find something they love to do,” the 5-foot-5 Durant said.

In wrestling, he found he’s able to channel his energy into something that may benefit him — such as a college scholarship, even if it’s partial.

While football seems just as physical as wrestling from the outside looking in, Durant said the latter is a noticeably more mental sport.

“In football, one big play takes it,” he said. “In wrestling, you have to think three, four or five moves ahead in order to actually win a match. It’s all mental, it’s a waiting game and you have to play your cards right.”

Cline would agree, as he noted it’s a “very technical sport.” The North Lenoir wrestlers had to learn illegal and legal holds, as well as body and weight control.

Though he’s been involved with wrestling since middle school, Cline said the North Lenoir community should expect growth in this first season back.

Building a program

Cline is looking to establish the Hawks as a competitive wrestling program as the 2013-14 season opens.

“I’m certainly not planning on setting the wrestling world on fire,” he said, “but we’ve been putting some hard work in the room. The only way you really get better at wrestling is actual competition.”

Page 3 of 3 - North Lenoir will be on the road until Dec. 12, when the Hawks host rival South Lenoir. It joins the Eastern Carolina 2A conference, where two other area programs exist in Greene Central and South Lenoir. Kinston is the only conference school without a team.

“A first year program is difficult because you have no experience,” Cline said. “It’s an intense sport. It’s harder than any practice you can ever imagine, and it takes quite a bit of education.”

Aside from its uniqueness, one of the reasons Cline got involved with the sport is because of its classiness — believe it or not.

“It’s a gentlemen’s sport,” he said. “When you go to a wrestling tournament, it’s just a different air; there’s always that mutual respect.

“Everybody knows all the emotions that go with the game.”

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.